“I’m coming in, Anon.”
“Mm, you may enter.”
After knocking on the principal’s office door and waiting for Anon’s response, I step inside.
Anon is surrounded by towering stacks of documents on the desk. Having not been in the position for long, it seems there’s still a mountain of work to tackle.
“What brings you here, Gill? If it’s a date invitation, I’d gladly accept!”
“…………”
The principal’s office is equipped with soundproof magical devices, so no conversations here leak outside. But still, I wish you wouldn’t say anything too dangerous.
“Enough with the boring jokes. I need to discuss something with you, Anon.”
“Muu… it’s no joke, not even slightly…”
“Would it be possible to install listening devices or surveillance cameras in the classrooms?”
“What-what nonsense are you spouting!?”
Yeah, as expected, that’s a hard no.
“You see, I want to do something about the academy’s teaching staff. I’d like to secretly observe their lessons, but I guess that’s too much to ask?”
I could try attending other classes as a substitute teacher, but having someone watching might cause the teachers to act differently. Recently, there have been rumors about me, and my presence might also quiet the students down unnaturally.
“Oh… that’s your reason? I was worried you were trying to make a move on the female students!”
“Don’t be ridiculous! There are just too many poorly reputed teachers here, so I’m curious about what kind of lessons they’re conducting.”
What on earth are you worrying about…
“Umm, as expected, that’s a tough one. The academy buildings have detection systems for such magical devices. While you might be able to do it without being caught, the risk of discovery is far too high.”
“Well, yeah, that makes sense…”
If I were caught, people wouldn’t believe I was observing lessons—they’d think I was using the cameras for voyeuristic purposes. Declaring the presence of cameras upfront could act as a deterrent to bullying, but it would likely face strong opposition for privacy reasons.
“Then how about hiring one more teacher?”
“Umm, we just hired you, so… do you have someone suitable in mind?”
“Yeah, an old acquaintance. They’re skilled at intelligence gathering and can teach magical pharmacology or magic history. Worst case, we could swap out my defensive magic lessons.”
That person should have a certification in magical pharmacology. Even if they don’t, they could handle magic history, which doesn’t require qualifications. With their memory skills, they’d pick it up quickly. If needed, I could trade my defensive magic lessons for their classes.
I’m perfectly capable of preparing magical potions myself and hold the necessary qualifications.
“…Is this acquaintance a woman?”
“No, it’s a man. Does that matter?”
“Uh, umm, no, it doesn’t. That’s a relief! The academy also keeps the gender balance of its teachers in mind.”
“Ah, I see.”
Now that I think about it, schools in my old world probably paid some attention to the gender ratio of their staff too. I don’t recall any schools that were heavily skewed one way or the other.
“Anyway, I’ll contact him first.”
“Alright, I’ll try to make arrangements on my end to see if hiring a new teacher is possible.”
“Got it. I appreciate it.”
It seems like I’ll manage to get someone in to observe the lessons and behavior of the teachers. If they really are as detrimental to the students as Gale and Cyril suggest, I’ll see to their removal.
“Thank you for today, Mr. Geek.”
“Y-yes, see you next week!”
“Thank you. Excuse us.”
“Yeah, take care on your way home!”
This week’s lessons ended without any major issues, and the study session, which lasted until 5 PM, also wrapped up. I saw Bern, Melia, and Cyril off.
Phew, everything went smoothly this time. Last week, I expelled five students, including one from a marquis’ family, so this week, there haven’t been any students causing big problems. While some rebellious students still glare at me, at least they’re not disrupting others anymore.
Some students are starting to take their lessons more seriously, and more are showing up to the after-school study sessions for questions. Progress is being made. It seems there were quite a few students who wanted to study magic seriously but were held back by a poor environment.
“Next up is the S-Class practical lessons… Having one overly influential student really is a problem.”
The only issue is the S-Class practical lessons. The Third Princess of this country, Eliza, still refuses to participate, and as a result, the other students aren’t attending either. She does, however, seem to take the theory classes seriously and listens attentively during my lectures.
I can understand why the Third Princess might feel little need to study defensive magic, and forcing unwilling students to participate doesn’t align with my teaching philosophy. That said, if her test results are poor, I won’t hesitate to give her low marks.
Let me be clear: I don’t show favoritism. I won’t accept bribes, and I’ll give anyone—princess or not—the lowest grade if they deserve it.
“Now then, it’s time for the best part of the week—Friday evening after work! I’ll enjoy some good drinks tonight and spend the weekend immersed in research!”
In my old world, this was the golden hour of “TGIF.” For a five-day-a-week worker like me, this time was sacred!
‘All staff, please assemble in the staff room immediately. I repeat, all staff, please assemble in the staff room immediately.’
“…………”
The announcement for an emergency staff meeting echoed throughout the building, abruptly ending my Friday night plans. It’s already past working hours…
Why did I ever invent this magical loudspeaker system?
